FISHES OF THE FAMILY LOEICAEIID.E. 209 



emarginate. Caudal peduncle 11 times as long as deep. Numerous dark spots on 

 head, body, and fins. 



Total length 310 mm. 



One specimen : W. Ecuador. 



6. Plecostomus verres. 



Hypostomus plecostomus (non Linn.) Cuv. & Val. Hist. Nat. Poiss. xv. p. 489 (1810). 

 Hypostomus verres Cuv. & Val. t. c. p. 494. 



? Hypostomus pantherinus Kner, Denkschr. Ak. Wien, vii. 1854, p. 267. 

 Plecostomus bicirrJwsus (part.) Giinth. Cat. Fish. v. p. 231 (1864). 



Depth of body 4^— 5j times in the total length, length of head 2f— 3-J times. Depth 

 of head li-lf times in its length, breadth of head 1\- 1^ times, length of snout 

 lf-2 times, diameter of eye 6-9^ times, interorbital width 24—2^ times. Length of 

 mandibular ramus 3|— 3§ times in the interorbital width. Snout narrowed anteriorly ; 

 supraorbital edges raised ; supraoccipital" with strongly elevated median ridge ; tem- 

 poral plates carinate. Scutes spinulose, carinate except on caudal peduncle, 26-28 in 

 a longitudinal series, 7-9 between dorsal and adipose fin, 13-14 between anal and 

 caudal. Supraoccipital bordered posteriorly by a median scute and by 2 or 3 of a 

 group of small scutes on each side. Lower surface of head and abdomen, in the adult, 

 almost completely covered with small granular scales. D. 1 7, the first ray as long as 

 or a little longer than the head, the last f-f as long ; length of base of dorsal equal to 

 or greater than its distance from the adipose fin. A. I 4. Pectoral spine extending a 

 little beyond base or nearly to middle of ventral. Caudal deeply emarginate, the outer 

 rays greatly produced. Caudal peduncle 3-g- (young) to 4^ times as long as deep. 

 Numerous dark spots on head, body, and fins, smallest on the head, those on the dorsal 

 in 2 series between each pair of rays. In the young, spots much fewer and larger. 



Total length 320 mm. 



Ten specimens (including the types of the species) : Venezuela ; Guiana ; Marajo 

 Island. 



7. fPLECOSTOMUS CARINATUS. 



Plecostomus carinatus Steind. Denkschr. Ak. Wien, xliii. 1881, p. 108, pi. iv. fig. 2. 



Very closely allied to the preceding species, from which it is distinguished by the 

 larger eye and the more numerous scutes, all of which are strongly carinate. Diameter 

 of eye 6 times in the length of head. 30 scutes in a longitudinal series, 8-9 between 

 dorsal and adipose fin, 16 between anal and caudal. 



The typical examples are 300-350 mm. in total length. 



Pv. Amazon. 



2f2 



